Consumer Rights

Who is the Consumer?

Any individual obtaining a good or service from a commercial establishment within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

What is Consumer Awareness? 

A communicative operation aiming to better the understanding of the Consumer of their own rights and obligations.

General Rights

a- To be provided with the following commercial data for each product:

1- Size, dimensions, weight, quantity and capacity

2- Date of production and validity

3- The country in which the products were manufactured and produced

4- Elements used in the installation

5- Product price

6- The name of the producer or the manufacturer

Consumer Rights:

1- Purchase of goods offered for sale without restriction or condition from the seller

2- Not linking the purchase of one commodity to another

3- All product data to be written in Arabic, while allowing the addition of another language

4- That the product conforms to the approved technical regulations

5- Taking the remaining amount, no matter how little, without being obligated to purchase other goods

6- Replacement and return of goods if it is proven that they are fraudulent

7- Obtaining an invoice upon purchase in Arabic that states (the total and detailed amount, the type of product and its description as well as the name of the facility where it was produced)

8- Obtaining an invoice clearly showing the value of the added tax

9- The tax invoice clearly showing the goods or services

10- Knowing the warnings pertaining to the use of goods offered for sale and that they be stated clearly on the product

11- The description of the item must be correct and identical to what was agreed upon with the seller. Obtaining a contract explaining all possible specifications, duration and terms of delivery and payments

Purchase of Goods (Electrical Appliances):

It is the consumer's right when purchasing the commodity that

• The commercial declaration relating to the commodity offered for sale be written in Arabic language at least, and conforms to the truth in all respects.
• The product’s specifications are correct, according to what has been agreed upon between the seller and the consumer.
• An energy efficiency card is available when the electrical appliance (washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner) is offered for sale.
• Obtaining a document signed by the consumer and the agent stating the delivery date and obligations of the agent towards the consumer in the event of delay in delivery.
• The agent discloses in writing in a clear and understandable manner any defects or any change in the commodity he offers for sale.
• The commercial agent discloses his policies for providing spare parts, maintenance, and product warranty.
• An energy efficiency card be present when displaying the electrical appliance (washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner) while it is offered for sale.

Goods Warranty (Electrical Appliances):

• The electrical goods warranty period should be no less than two years.
• Extending the product warranty period in equivalence with the delay in providing the spare part or starting or completing maintenance work.
• If there is a defect on the commodity covered by the product's warranty, and the agent does not deal with it with the necessary professionalism, then the agent is responsible for providing the product warranty for the said defect and the consequences thereof, for an additional year after the end of the warranty period.
• In the event of a defect covered by the warranty, the consumer has the right to take the product to the store where it has been purchased, and the shop is obligated to repair the defect or deliver it to the agent to make the repairs.

Goods maintenance (Electrical Appliances):

• When requesting an appointment to perform maintenance, the agent must document this request and set a date to start the maintenance procedure.
• Receive a document indicating the condition of the electrical device, its malfunction, the date of completion of its maintenance and the cost of repair.
• The agent indicates the fees for the inspection and inspection service - if any - when booking the appointment.
• If maintenance is only performed by the agent, he must start performing maintenance within a period not exceeding (7) days as of the date of submitting the request.

Spare Parts (Electrical Appliances):

• If the spare parts are manufactured specifically for the consumer or have special technical specifications, in this case an agreement is made in writing on a reasonable period to provide the spare parts.
• Obtaining direct access to spare parts of constant demand.
• Obtaining a separate document containing the provisions and period of warranty for the spare part, in accordance with the producer’s policy.
• Providing spare parts of rare demand within 14 days.
• Preserving the replaced spare parts if the new parts have been paid for, and assessing the replaced spare parts if the new parts have not been paid for unless the old part was harmful to the environment, so the agent must dispose of it in a safe manner.

Temporary Substitute Good (Electrical Appliances):

Obtaining a substitute commodity in the following cases:

• If the commodity cannot be used due to a defect covered by the warranty.
• Delay in the completion of non-periodic maintenance work.
• Delay in delivering the spare part of rare demand over 14 days from the date of the request, or delay in providing the spare part beyond the agreed period for specially-manufactured parts or with special technical specifications, provided that the commodity is not used.

EXCHANGE AND RETURN

The Right to Exchange and Return:

• If it is proven that the product or commodity is fraudulent or defective.
• If the store has a policy that includes the consumer's right to exchange and return, then the conditions thereof specified in the store policy will apply.

In Cases of Exchange and Return:

• In the event that the commercial data do not match the truth, whereas there is a difference between the aforementioned characteristics of the product before purchase, as the product is not suitable for the purpose it was requested for it or for what it was claimed as.
• If the product or goods contained a counterfeit trademark that led to it being misleading in terms of the source of those products.
• If there has been tampering with the products' quantity, size, or both, or their energy, weight, or source.

Exchange or Return of Electrical Appliances:

If the agent fails to repair one or more repeated defects in a device (electrical or electronic) covered by the product warranty, then the consumer has the right to obtain a new (electrical or electronic) replacement device with the same category and specifications of the original good or its value at the time of purchase in accordance with the following conditions:

• That the defect results in the non-use of the device and goes without affecting its market value or the safety of its use.
• That the agent benefits from two (2) attempts to fix the recurring device defect, or that the repair attempts take a period of more than (15) days, not including the time required to provide the spare parts.
• If the consumer chooses to obtain a new substitute commodity with the same category and specification of the original good, he must pay a fair amount in exchange for using the good, or this amount shall be determined by agreement between him and the agent, provided that determining the duration and nature of use is taken into account.

DISCOUNTS AND CONTESTS

Commercial discounts:

• The store shall place labels on the products covered by the discounts, clearly indicating the prices of the products before and after the sale as well as the percentage of the sale.
• Knowing the duration of the discounts and the date of their start and end
• The product included in the sales shall not be fraudulent or defective.
• That the product covered by the discounts conforms to the approved standard specifications.
• That the product covered by the discounts is covered by the insurance of maintenance, spare parts, guarantee of quality of manufacture, and the obligations usually set by the producers.

Obligations of the Merchant:

• The store shall have the discounts license or a copy thereof displayed in a clear and obvious place for the consumer to see.
• If the store announces comprehensive discounts, all the goods in the store shall be subjected to the said discounts.
• If the store announces partial discounts, they shall cover no less than 50% of the products in the shop. If the percentage is less than that, discounts shall not be announced by any means, and in this case it will be sufficient to display the discount on the price tag of the intended item with the price before and after the discount.
• Discounts shall not be announced more than fifteen days before the date set for their commencement, provided that the license number and the actual reduction percentage are mentioned in the announcement. If the announcement is displayed at the front of the store, it must not be displayed more than a week before the discounts begin.

E-COMMERCE SYSTEM AND REGULATIONS

The most prominent definitions in the E-Commerce System and Regulations

• Merchant: A person registered in the Commercial Registry engaging in E-Commerce.
• Practitioner: A person who is not registered in the Commercial Registry and engages in E-Commerce.
• E-Shopper: A person who deals in E-Commerce in order to obtain the products or services provided by the service provider.
• Service provider: The merchant or the practitioner.

The most prominent features of the E-Commerce System and Regulations

• The invoice must include the total price with shipping charges, delivery time, and the name of the carrier.

Electronic error correction

• The advertisement must include a clear statement that it is an advertisement material.
• The online shopper has the right to cancel the order if the service provider is more than 15 days late for delivery or implementation.
• Adding a website link in the Commercial Registry.
• The E-Shopper has the right to cancel the E-Contract within 7 days.

The most prominent regulations in E-Advertising

• Includes a clear statement that it is an advertisement material.
• E-Advertisement of any trademark that the merchants do not have the right to use or of a counterfeit brand is prohibited.
• It is prohibited to include any allegations that deceive the E-Shopper.
• Enable the E-Shopper to request to stop receiving ads.
• The E-Advertisement must include: the name of the product, the name of the merchant or the practitioner, and the means of communication.
• The E-Advertisements and the specifications or offers they contain are binding to the merchant and part of the contract.

The most prominent data of the E-Bill

The E-Shop is required to provide an invoice for the shopper that can be saved, and it includes:

• Name of the service provider (merchant and practitioner).
• Date of contract.
• Provisions for Exchange and Return.
• Description of the product or service.
• The total price including fees and taxes.
• The date and place of the product delivery or service provision with the name of the carrier.